Published on October 2, 2010
I totally agree with Kalinga Seneviratne’s letter about the discrimination against Indians, and the sense of racism in general, in Thailand.
I have many Indian friends who complain about the treatment meted out to them at the airport, at the Visa on Arrival section, Immigration, and most all, on Thai Airways flights.
Since the airline flies to many cities in India, they have many Indian fliers and should be grateful for that. Instead, I’m told that the hostesses and stewards are constantly rude and insulting. I heard a story about a lady who had a breathlessness problem on one flight, and another old lady who needed a wheelchair, but both times the staff were callous and unhelpful. In fact, an Indian businessman friend told me that the behaviour of the Thai Airways staff, coupled with the atrocious quality of the food, had forced him and his friends to change airlines, even though the latter’s timings were not as convenient.
While on the one hand Thailand is happy about the huge numbers of Indians coming into the country, and boosting their much-needed revenues, on the other hand they don’t seem to realise that to retain the Indian market, they need to practice their much-talked-about service culture.
Indians today are capable of travelling to any part of the world, and don’t need to come to any country where they are not respected.
In fact, there’s a strong sense of racism in the country, which anyone living here long enough, realises.
As a native English speaker, I can get any job I want, at a salary I want, whether I’m “qualified” or not.
My Indian friends cannot, even if they are well qualified. I find this totally discriminatory and wrong.
Mike Doug
Bangkok
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/10/02/opinion/Discrimination-against-Indians-will-be-costly-30139170.html
http://bangkokscoop.com/2010/10/discrimination-against-indians-will-be-costly/